News

An Attitude of Gratitude

November 15, 2012

If someone asked you what you're grateful for, you could probably come up with a list of things. But if they asked you to come up with artwork that depicted your idea of gratitude, you might find that a bit more challenging.

If you want to see the definition of gratitude through budding artists' eyes, take a walk to Biddle Hall and venture up to the second floor art gallery. Works from students currently taking art classes are on display from now through the end of the semester.

The Gratitude Exhibition opened Thursday afternoon with a reception that featured refreshments, poetry performances from Cheyney students and a chance to mingle with artists and their professors, Helena Domenic and Joel Keener, who also have pieces of their own in the show. Domenic is Curator of the Gallery.

"I thought it would be great to coincide this exhibit with the Thanksgiving holiday," she said. "My students had to center their pieces around gratitude and use any materials they wanted. Some students also did African American masks," she explained.

The colorful pieces such as collages and paintings that adorn the walls show talent, creativity and hard work. Junior Fine Arts major Nasiral-Din Edwards did a charcoal drawing of a muslim artist that he calls his hero. "I actually feel tranquility when I see this picture," he admitted. That's because when he first saw the artists' picture, Edwards was going through a tough time in his life. Now that he's made his own rendition of the picture he says, "It reminds me to stop and think about the things that I have instead of what's going wrong."

Domenic wishes Cheyney staff and other students would particpate in the art shows. "You don't have to take art classes to have your work displayed in the gallery," she stated.

Biddle Hall Gallery is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm.